Tuesday, November 23, 2010

CAF Mi-17 Hips

A long while ago I mentioned the Mi-8 Hips leased by the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan. Recently, a newspaper article was publishing asking questions about the helos. Ok, Canada's military procurement and spending is always political, but what was really interesting was the quote "The Mi-17s operate in Canadian military markings and are flown by Canadian Forces pilots, said Rozenberg-Payne." Huh? I thought the Mi-8s were in civil markings with civil registrations. Turns out Canada has traded in the leased Mi-8s for leased Mi-17s and they are carrying CAF markings. See here for a picture. So the Mi-17s are designated CH-178 and the serials for the four aircraft are 178404 to 178407. (What happened to 178401 to 178403?) I understand these are Kazan Helicopters Mi-17-V5 versions of the Mi-17. Cool, eh.

Modeler's Note: Hobby Boss makes a very nice Mi-17, but it does not have the correct configuration to build the CAF variant. (What's new.) There was a conversion of the kit to the beaked nose/rear ramp Mi-8/Mi-17 in a recent Scale Aviation Modeller International.

About Me

An expat Canadian now living in Seattle, Jim builds RCAF, RCN, US Navy, and Commonwealth aircraft in 1/72 scale. Jim is an avid reader and a sometimes writer, a fan of rock, folk, and jam bands, and a private pilot. When he’s not exploring one of the many museums, parks, and libraries of Puget Sound with his wife and their daughter, Jim is a practicing attorney.